About the Author

Walter Pryor is a product of the South, the Black Church, and a strong family unit of resilient, formidable women. He is a cum laude graduate of Hendrix College, the only Black student in the college’s history to have been awarded the President’s Medal, and a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center.

His professional career has spanned a myriad of sectors in the legal arena, having worked in both large and small law firms, the U.S. Department of Justice, Capitol Hill, corporations, and higher education. He is passionate about education and has devoted a significant amount of time to volunteer work in that space. Pryor currently serves on the Board of Trustees of Hendrix College as vice chair and the Board of Directors of the Washington Children’s Foundation.

I wonder how our lives might have been different had she not dreamt of my mother graduating from college and then been willing to make the sacrifice of sending her away in order to make that dream possible . . . . Where does the ripple end?

Walter Pryor

The story of

Walter Pryor

Mama Ceal, born during World War I and the Jim Crow era, was the granddaughter of slaves.

She endured a traumatic childhood marked by neglect and abuse after her mother’s death.

Despite poverty, she and her husband sent their daughter LaRuth away to access better education.

After her husband’s drowning, Mama Ceal worked as a maid for a White family for 40 years.

Her laborious life left her with arthritic hands, symbolizing her perseverance and strength.

Book Published

Years of Her Legacy

The story of

Walter Pryor

Mama Ceal, born during World War I and the Jim Crow era, was the granddaughter of slaves.

She endured a traumatic childhood marked by neglect and abuse after her mother’s death.

Despite poverty, she and her husband sent their daughter LaRuth away to access better education.

After her husband’s drowning, Mama Ceal worked as a maid for a White family for 40 years.

Her laborious life left her with arthritic hands, symbolizing her perseverance and strength.

Book Published

Years of Her Legacy